Dash
"If someone mentions that damn Pony one more time, you'll wake up three towns over with total amnesia and barely enough blood to stay awake" History There was a time when man thought the sky was the limit, where millionares walked the streets, electricity flowed through the veins of the city. A time when the Civil War was long over, and mankind looked to the future and the wonders of tomorrow. Then the rich assholes in charge ruined in A child of the Great Depression, - was born into wealth, the father of a stockbroker...who, contrary to popular belief, did NOT jump out the window when he was ruined (He rather took his fathers Civil War revolver, and put a bullet in his brain after a stiff drink). His mother was unable to cope, - spent about half of his time trying to ensure her sanity was in a decent place, before trying to find some degree of work. He quickly found out that anything remotely resembling honest work did not pay. And why should it? Did the millionaires and stockbrokers who drove the country into depression play fair? No, they screwed everybody and everything in an attempt to claw their way to the top. He started small, a few popped cash registers here, a few steaks swiped from a butchers there. World War I was fresh in the memories of many, but surely the worst had passed for now. - focused on survival, stealing what he needed and thought he could get away with. Eventually, the Mafia recruited him has a skilled thief. He knew the city quite well, he knew how to get in and out of places, he knew how to move fast and quietly, and that made him valuable. Theft wasn't all of it, though. He ensured his mother was well set up, until she died some ten years after his father did, when - was twenty three (He started rather young). But by then, he was already in deep, running Moonshine through sewer tunnels, swiping documents out of banks in the dead of night, and doing damn good for some punk kid out of nowhere. - Never really even considered most of what he did to be unethical, none of the people he stole from had too little to get by, when so many others did. What's the harm in taking a dollar from a man who has a million more? The Mafia loved his attitude, the whole 'oh god I'm a horrible person' aspect of the job never really flared up with him. This slight bit of detatchment, and adherence to professionalism was what earned him the embrace. At the age of 24, a mafia contact stepped out of the darkness...where he knew for a fact there was a brick wall. He offered - a chance to REALLY make a mark, to fight for the little guy, to liberate wealth and information from even the richest and most powerful individuals. The immortality, and physical enhancements where quite tempting as well. He was embraced right there and then, drained of his vitae, and granted a small amount of blood to permit him to rise again. After that, he only picked up the pace. The local kindred tended to hire him out for jobs. More often then not, it was masquerade preservation. But on occasion, Daeva clients would ask for samples of blood. He'd sneak into some poor bastards place, and sneak a vial with a syringe. The Circle would occasionally ask for jobs like that, and the less he asked about what they did with the blood, the better his daysleep went. However, has the thirties went on, and the storm clouds of the Second World War brewed on the Horizon, he started to grow...uncomfortable. He could remember, from his earliest days, the talk of the war in Europe on the radio, his father had fought in it, and his mother was often irate with worry. He remembered hearing about the gas attacks at Ypres (He looks at the Brothers of Ypres with a degree of pity, at least the ones who aren't utter monsters) It wasn't an easy choice to make, but he believed that with the sheer amount of chaos and bloodshed coming up, survival would be difficult. Sure, he could steal, but with everybody paranoid and running on Propaganda, they'd be more aware. Now, imagine that you're making off with someones lifeblood rather then a watch. Deciding to ride things out, he found an isolated cave in the outskirts of the city, set up a large boulder in front of it to block out the sun (And trespassers) and entered torpor, waiting fifty years for the turmoil of the time to die down. By then, his blood had thickened to respectable levels, but by the time he woke up in the late 90s, it had thinned significantly. He didn't mind this overmuch, but he found the new world to be somewhat more...intimidating then he'd thought. Oh sure, the same countries more or less existed (He was a bit shocked about what the Soviets did with Berlin, though), less the USSR. Culture had moved on at a relatively predictable fashion, and humans where still gullible and easy to steal from. Wealth was flowing, more people had more then their parents and grandparents did. This was -'s time, he wondered if the new era would even NEED someone like him. A firebrand believer in equality and social justice (Along with larceny). For the decade of the 2000s, he spent his time studying, catching up on culture and history, and thickening his blood back up a bit. When the 2010s came, and ANOTHER economic collapse hit...well, he spent nearly a full night in a frenzy at his haven. Once again, the rich had hosed the poor, the government hadn't done dick. The very IDEA of people being so selfish disturbed him more then the nightmares of torpor ever could. But, then again, he could do something about it. He exposed illegal financial documents during the depression, he stole gold bars from the wealthy, he smuggled moonshine against an unjust law. He'd fought for what he thought was right in the past, why the hell can't he do it again? He picked a good time to wake up, because in -s mind, the world needs a guy like him again. And sure, he can't fix ALL of the world, but he can try to make it a bit more tolerable for humanity and his fellow Kindred. This would seem to bring him into conflict with the Invictus...but despite disliking how power hungry they are, he sees a pyramidial structure has having its own merits. He'd never join, but he's not rabidly anti-invictus, after all, they keep things SOMEWHAT stable most of the time. And when things are unregulated and anarchic...well, he saw some nasty things when HUMANS where knocked off the Ivory Towers, what would KINDRED do in the same situation? The Crone is interesting, it smells of personal empowerment, has does the Ordo Dracul. He's considered signing up once or twice, but his job and torpor delayed this somewhat. Has for the Lancea Sanctum, he wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. The idea of someone claiming to have a divine right to be a jackass is just foolishness to him. Bastards are bastards, and kindred are the biggest bastards of all. - knows this, and accepts it, the beast inside him isn't going anywhere...But, at least he reins it in when he can. These religous assholes don't even seem to care about even TRYING to be decent. Sure, - is a thief, larcinest, smuggler, and generally unsavory character, but he has STANDARDS. Regardless of covenant, he considers his fellow Kindred to be worthy of respect (Respect does not mean he LIKES them, however). Anyone who's survived more then a few nights with the beast snarling in their ear has to be made of some strong stuff. Those who are weak enough to let it rule them, and those who use their strength to opress people simply for a power fix, however, lose this respect. - has found himself idly hoping the Prince or Primogen hires him to set up an explosive under a troublemakers haven more then once. Other Info * Dash is not his real name, and is written has "(-)". He's been dead for most of a century, so its rather difficult to turn up the information...Especially considering he doesn't want it to be found. * Dash is a Night Doctor, his time spent working for the Mafia lead him to a number of nights pulling bullets out of rum runners and the like. He's open about it, BUT, he charges for his services. Its never anything huge, usually a small amount of money, a nights worth of hunting at the patients feeding ground. Stuff like that. The price is negotiable, and if you're lucky or a decent social roller, he might be persuaded to do it gratis. The exception to this is that he will patch up Carthians without a price (Assuming they didn't do something insanely stupid to get hurt in the first place. Some lessons need to be taught). In the event that a character really has nothing of value, the requested price is always the same: A single vial of vitae from the vampire. * Dash is avalible for hire. You want something stolen, you endangered the masquerade and need it covered up, you need a rare ritual component snatched? He'll do it. But, it takes either a LOT of pressure, a lot of bribery, or a lot of pull in the city to convince him to do anything that violates the Kindred laws of the city, or the traditions. He's a thief, scoundrel, and undead monster, but he's not stupid. The cost is variable, a quick smash and grab is pretty easy to work out. Trying to steal a tome detailing Theban Sorcery handed down by Longinus himself? Not happening. * Dash is interested in Occult lore, and theorizes that Obteneration can be expanded into a full on ritual form of Blood Sorcery. Its far easier to bribe him with occult lore (That won't get him hunted down by the Crones) then it is with cold hard cash.